Last orders called for Portsmouth pub

The Registry pub

A MUCH-LOVED Portsmouth pub is to close its doors for the last time at the end of May.

The Registry Pub has been a popular student haunt since it opened in April 1999.

Despite a petition earlier this year to save ‘The Reg’ – as it’s known – it will permanently shut on May 31.

REL Leisure Ltd, which took over the pub last August, said it has been making a loss and it is no longer financially viable to keep it open.

Manager Andy Quildan said: ‘Unfortunately when the students aren’t here we don’t make enough money and recently there has been much speculation about whether we were closing down, which has put people off from coming here as they didn’t know if we were open or not.’

The pub, in St Michael’s Road, hosts a variety of live music and DJ sets and is known for Concrete Tuesdays – a dance and bass night which has been held there since 2010.

Billy Osborne, 25, co-founder of Concrete, said: ‘We’re gutted to see the birthplace and home of our weekly student night, Concrete Music, go.

‘It’s been our lives for the last four years and we’ve loved every minute of it.

‘We’ve brought some of the biggest DJs in the world to little old Portsmouth and changed the face of the city’s nightlife – all from seven students putting on a Tuesday night party.

‘There’s already a lack of good venues in Portsmouth and now, somehow, we will have to find a new home.’

The future of the building is currently undecided but REL Leisure has put in a planning application to convert the pub into 41 student apartments.

However this is yet to go before city council planners.

Ruth Akeroyd, 29, is the longest serving member of staff at the pub.

She has worked there as a chef since September 2003.

She said: ‘The Registry was such an integral part of so many people’s university experiences.

‘Having worked there for over 10 years, that will be the saddest part about it closing down for me.’